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Huw
What was life like in Africa? Life in Africa wasn’t really nice for the slaves, on the ships that the slaves were on in the middle passage the slaves could not sit up because it was so crowded on the ships, slaves were really sick, they often committed suicide, there was so much blood and pus on the floor and it wasn’t really pleasant for most slaves to be on the ships, and the reason why they were on the ships was because people in different countries also wanted slaves so Africa had to send some slaves of to England or America, and America did the same for England and Africa and England did the same for America and Africa. There could be up to more than six hundred people on one ship, captives from different nations were mixed together, so it was harder for the enslaved people to communicate and plan rebellions, also women and children were held separately. How were slaves captured? Local Africans would go and capture other young African men and women, and bring them to the port, and sell them to the slave traders, and also Africans were kidnapped and shipped to America, Africa and England, so people can have slaves to do their work for them. What emotions did a slave experience during capture and after? The slaves were really really sad and depressed with how they were treated, and also some of the slaves hated how they were treated a lot that they committed suicide, and when they were getting shipped to a different country a lot of the slaves were getting really ill on the ship. What were conditions like on the ship? The conditions on the ships were horrible, there was so much blood and puss on the deck, and also a lot of dead bodies, as a lot of slaves committed suicide, and also a lot of slaves were bleeding out and also a lot of the slaves on the ships were getting ill. What kind of treatment could a slave expect? The treatment on the ships weren’t that good, the people watching over the slaves probably didn’t care about what happened to the slaves, they were just watching them to make sure they didn’t try to escape or take over the ship. How were ships organised? On the lower deck, there was space for 282 slaves, 130 of those slaves were stowed under the shelves, also there is also space for an additional 130 slaves on the wings or the sides of the lower deck, and all the slaves stowed on and below the shelves had only 2 feet 7 inches between the beams and far less under the beams. Why would slaves die on the ship? Slaves would die on the ship, because most of them would commit suicide because they really hate how they are treated by their owners, and also a lot of them get ill or start to bleed out. What would happen to slaves when they first arrived in the Americas? When slaves reached America, they were sent to an auction block, and they got split up from their families, and it was only if a child was an infant that the mother got to stay with them, the slaves got sold like animals. What was a slave sale like? A slave sale was exactly the same as a normal auction, except instead of trying to sell animals or antiques to the highest bidder; people were selling slaves to the highest bidder. What kind of work would a slave have to perform? Slaves would have to perform anything you want them to perform, like labour (heavy labour), cleaning, cooking, fighting (soldiers), farm work, construction, sex workers, animal tending, gladiators, translators, working in the plantations, servants, and also working in the mines. How would a master treat their slave? Slaves were treated horribly, they had no rights unless their master agreed to it, they owned nothing, and they couldn’t leave their masters property, the law did not allow them to enter into a contract, to testify in court, posses weapons, and also slaves could be bought or sold just like livestock. What kind of punishment might a slave have to suffer? Slaves were whipped, forced to wear an ankle braces, forced to live in a shack that many slaves were forced to live in, they also had little, to no furniture, they were shot and killed, they were shackled, hung, beaten, burnt, mutilated, branded and imprisoned. What were the chances of Freedom for the slaves? The Romans gave the slaves some spending money, some slaves saved their spending money and used it to buy them self freedom. sometimes masters would give them freedom as a gift, or in his will. The Arabian people gave their slaves freedom, or allowed them to buy their freedom. If the slaves were mistreated, the law theoretically gave them their freedom. However, many women slaves married their master, and the law said, that to do so, he first had to grant her freedom, so their children would be born free. The Africans allowed the slaves to buy their freedom and live to become free men and women - and some even rose to become kings. It was quite common for a master to marry a slave, in which case his wife would stay a slave, but his children would be free. The Transatlantic people gave few slaves freedom, and the child of the slave was also a slave. Conclusion for the chances of freedom All of the 4 slave trades mentioned allowed slaves to have freedom, all of the slave trades gifted slaves freedom, all the slave trades gave the slaves some spending money, and the Roman, Arabian and African slave trade were nicer about giving slaves freedom then the Transatlantic slave trade, the Transatlantic slave trade only gave few slaves freedom, but the other 3 slave trades gave loads of slaves freedom, as a gift.